'Odyssey' soars past $1.1 billion at box office, despite controversial 'diverse' casting

Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey, released July 17, has now taken in $1.1 billion in worldwide box office receipts, emerging unscathed from the right-wing criticism over its casting that preceded its release.

The film, based on Homer's epic by the same name and a classic of Greek literature, boasted an impressive cast, including Anne Hathaway (The Devil Wears Prada), Tom Holland (Spider-Man), Zendaya (Euphoria), Matt Damon (The Bourne Identity), and Robert Pattinson (Twilight).

More controversial was the decision to cast trans-identifying “man” Elliot Page – who stands around 5'1" and weighs approximately 110 pounds – as the Greek warrior Sinon, a move DailyWire commentator Ben Shapiro called “silly and egregious.”

Matt Walsh, also of the DailyWire, similarly spoke out about African actress Lupita Nyong’o being cast as Helen of Troy – considered among the most beautiful women in the world – asserting she was not a believable choice to represent "the face that launched a thousand ships." 

SpaceX founder and billionaire Elon Musk, meanwhile, took issue with the perceived “DEI” casting, writing on X that while Nyong’o “is beautiful,” he doesn’t believe it’s right to “cast a Black woman as a white woman in a classic European story.” 

“That would be no more appropriate than casting a white man as Shaka Zulu,” he said, referencing a famous 19th-century African warrior.

Similar pushback has resulted in some recent films underperforming and even running financial deficits.

The casting of African-American actress Halle Bailey as Ariel in Disney’s 2023 remake of the Danish fairytale The Little Mermaid faced criticism from traditionalists expecting the character to match the 1989 animated design. 

Disney's live action version of The Little Mermaid lost an estimated $4.9 million at the box office, though much of the blame for its commercial failure was attributed to costs exceeding the production budget.

Columbian-American actress Rachel Zegler’s portrayal of Snow White in Disney’s 2025 live action remake was similarly criticized for seemingly sacrificing hallmarks of the German fairytale—such as Snow White’s demure demeanor and “white as snow” skin. Disney reportedly lost an estimated $170 million on the movie.

Other films and shows, however, seem to have escaped these consequences entirely. 

Despite taking numerous liberties—most notably, its portrayal of 19th century English noble class as multicultural—Netflix original series Bridgerton is wildly popular.

The 2023 live action Barbie movie, which had a clear feminist slant and casts trans-identifying “woman” Hari Nef as “Doctor Barbie,” also did well, becoming the Warner Bros highest performing movie of all time. 

Hollywood's increasing embrace of "diverse" casting has made it a frequent target for conservative commentators, who accuse directors of misrepresenting the historical and cultural context of Western classics to advance DEI, LGBTQ, and feminist ideology.

Meanwhile, on a recent episode of the TV talk show The View, co-host Whoppi Goldberg took issue with Shapiro's commentary, saying: “A lot of conservatives who see this are going to feel the same way. That’s OK. But I don’t understand. Why go see the movie? If you don’t want to see it, don’t go see it. Why do you care who’s cast in it?”

The Odyssey’s success despite past criticism – including a 94% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes at the time of this article’s publishing – may be attributed to its thrilling action scenes, stunning visuals, and otherwise quality cast.

The fact that the most controversial casting choices were also some of the smallest roles may also have played a role.

Nolan, whose previous films – Inception (2010), Interstellar (2014), and Oppenheimer (2023) – have been largely ideologically neutral, is lauded as one of the greatest filmmakers of the 21st century.